General

Question 1

AOPs of the Southern Rhône Valley?

Answer 1

Grignan-les-Adhémar AOP
    Côtes du Vivarais AOP
    Côtes du Rhône-Villages AOP
    Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOP
    Duché d'Uzès AOP
    Gigondas AOP
    Vacqueyras AOP
    Vinsobres AOP
    Beaumes-de-Venise AOP
    Cairanne AOP
    Muscat de Beaumes-de-Venise AOP
    Rasteau AOP
    Lirac AOP
    Tavel AOP
    Costières de Nîmes AOP
    Clairette de Bellegarde AOP
    Luberon AOP
    Ventoux AOP

Question 2

Grignan-les-Adhémar AOP?

Answer 2

Blanc: Min. 30% Viognier, plus Bourboulenc, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne (no single variety may exceed 80% of the encépagement)

Rouge: 
    Principal Varieties: Min. 70% combined Grenache (20-70%) and Syrah (30-80%)
    Accessory Varieties: Bourboulenc, Carignan, Cinsault, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Mourvèdre, Roussanne, Viognier, and max. 10% Marselan
Rosé: As for Rouge
Nouveau/Primeur Rouge/Rosé/Blanc
Until 2019, Syrah may be a min. 10% of the rouge and rosé blends.

Assemblage:

Blanc: Bourboulenc and Clairette may not exceed a combined 50% of the blend.
Rosé: Principal Varieties form the majority of the blend, and white varieties may not exceed 20%.
Rouge: Principal Varieties form the majority of the blend, and white varieties may not exceed 10%.

Minimum Potential Alcohol: 11%

Question 3

Beaumes-de-Venise AOP?

Answer 3

Rouge: Combined Min. 80% Grenache and Syrah (min. 50% Grenache, 25-50% Syrah), max. 10% combined Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Clairette, Grenache Blanc and Gris, Marsanne, Piquepoul Blanc, Ugni Blanc and Viognier; max. 20% combined Mourvèdre, Counoise, Muscardin, Piquepoul Noir and Terret Noir

Syrah and Mourvèdre may account for a combined min. 20% until the 2015 harvest

Assemblage: Grenache Noir and Syrah must constitute the majority of the blend.
Minimum Potential Alcohol: 12.5%
Minimum Must Weight:

Grenache: 216 g/l
Other Grapes: 207 g/l

Maximum Residual Sugar: 3 g/l (4 g/l for wines with 14% or more alcohol)
Harvest Method: Manual harvesting is mandatory.

Question 4

Cairanne AOP?

Answer 4

Blanc: Bourboulenc, Clairette Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viogner; max. 20% combined Picpoul Blanc and Ugni Blanc
Rouge:
Principal Variety: Grenache (minimum 50%)
Complementary Varieties: Syrah and Mourvèdre

Question 5

Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOP?

Answer 5

Communes of Production: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Orange, Bédarrides, Courthézon, Sorgues
Styles and Encépagement:

Blanc
Rouge
Permitted Grape Varieties: Grenache (Noir, Gris and Blanc), Mourvèdre, Syrah, Cinsault, Counoise, Bourboulenc, Roussanne, Brun Argenté (Vaccarèse), Clairette, Clairette Rosé, Muscardin, Picardan, Piquepoul (Noir, Gris and Blanc), Terret Noir
For red wines, all varieties are permitted, but white and red musts need to be blended prior to vinification

Minimum Alcohol: 12.5%
Minimum Must Weight:

Grenache: 216 g/l
Other Red Grapes: 207 g/l
White Grapes: 196 g/l

Enrichment: Chaptalization is prohibited for red wines.
Maximum Residual Sugar: 3 g/l (4 g/l if potential alcohol is greater than 14%)
Minimum Planting Density:

"En Ligne" (line): 3,000 vines per hectare
"Au Carré" (square): although not explicitly stated, the vine spacing corresponds to 2,500 vines per hectare

Maximum Yields:

Rendement de Base: 35 hl/ha
Maximum Yield including Râpé: 42 hl/ha

Additional Requirements:

Hand-harvesting is required
A min. 2% of the harvested grapes must be used for table wine or discarded (râpé)
Flash-pasteurization is permitted for wine

Question 6

CDP Soil Structure and Natural Features?

Answer 6

Principal soil types include clay (argillaceous), sand (siliceous), limestone (calcareous), and marl (molasse). Topsoils are diverse, and include several sizes and types of stones. In the north and northwest, galets roulés are common. These large round stones comprised of quartzite and silica are the remnants of retreating Alpine glaciers from thousands of years ago, polished smooth by the Rhône River. The galets help to retain daytime heat and moderate temperatures in the vineyard.

Question 7

Clairette de Bellegarde AOP?

Answer 7

Blanc: 100% Clairette

Minimum Potential Alcohol: 11%

Question 8

Costières de Nîmes AOP?

Answer 8

Blanc:
Principal Varieties: Min. 50% combined Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, and Roussane (no single variety may exceed 80% of the vineyard, and at least two principal varieties must be planted)
Accessory Varieties: Bourboulenc, Macabeu, Vermentino, Clairette, and a max. 20% Viognier
Rouge:
Principal Varieties: Min. 60% combined Grenache, Mourvèdre, and Syrah (min. 20% combined Syrah and Mourvèdre)
Accessory Varieties: Carignan, Cinsault, and a max. 10% Marselan
Rosé: As for Rouge wines, with a max. 20% white varieties
Ugni Blanc was permitted for white wines at a max. 30% through the 2009 harvest

Assemblage:

Blanc: Min. 2 varieties, with principal varieties accounting for at least 60% of the blend.  Max. 20% Viognier
Rosé/Rouge: Min. 2 varieties, with principal varieties accounting for at least 50% of the blend.  Max. 10% Marselan

Minimum Potential Alcohol: 11.5%